tonight on "world news," running scared. so many neighborhoods hit as deadly twisters tear across the south. >> tompbd on the ground. large tornado on the ground. >> a mother and son lost huddled in his bedroom and a tree comes crashing down. tonight, hear where the storms are headed next. open mike. what president obama was caught saying when he thought the mike was off. more memory? could it be the sign of knowing less? and lady liberty. what is wrong with this picture? it fooled even the post office.

and good evening as we come on the air tonight. a major american city under a tornado watch, atlanta, as severe storms now move east. and look at this picture that came in a short time ago, one of the deadly twisters, this one in jackson, mississippi, bearing down on a highway. power lights snapping. more than 40 tornadoes in 24 hour. nine people have died already and that is where we find clayton sandell tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. we are already getting reports tonight there are tornadoes on the ground in alabama at this moment. you are already see what tornadoes have done here in oklahoma, destroying a school building, flipping cars. we are seeing scenes like that in different places. the punishing blows kept coming today. this struck near jackson, mississippi.

>> this is not good, guys. >> sending eight people to the hospital and leaving massive destruction. it's crossing the south. >> large tornado in front of us. >> we got the tail. >> large tornado on the ground. >> reporter: in arkansas, 7 people have died. a storm toppled this tree in a mobile home in crystal spriges, killing a man and his baby daughter every. >> didn't think it could happy to a friend of mine. we are talking about a loss of a friend and their little girl they will never get back. >> reporter: in tushka, oklahoma, a twister tore a path nine miles long. two elderly sisters caught in a mobile home died. >> that refrigerator was right there. >> reporter: with minutes to spare, randy walk interher and

familible scrambled in this shelter. >> it was a loud explosion. >> reporter: this tree trapped them for an hour and a half. when they escaped, they found their house in ruins. it's the heart of the community that suffered the toughest blow. the high school and elementary schools are destroyed. the school year is effectively over. >> it's hoeshl. it's gone, bye-bye school. >> reporter: the school superintendent vows to rebuild. >> it's been here a long time. it's the heart of the community. >> reporter: they have to do that rebuilding for scratch. take a look at this. even though every wall has collapses. some of the paperses and textbooks like unskramped. there is a lot of work to do. >> unpredictable. thanks so much. in little rock, arkansas,

authorities say a mother was huddled with her young son in his bedroom when the storm hit. they did not survive. jason peterson is there. jason, thanks so much for joining us. what can you tell us about the mother and two children in the home behind you? >> reporter: he is was a 34-year-old single mother of two who was likely called to the corner bedroom by her scared son. moments later, the tree skrashed down killing them both. a concerned sister visited the home and found the bodies. also safe, an 18-month-old girl. >> do we know about warning signals or signs before the stormed passed through? >> reporter: neighbors say that sirens did go off. with that tree, there were not a lot of safe places. >> thanks so much.

we want to bring in lee goldberg tracking the storms. and the radar is extremely active. >> tornadoes over there. over the mississippi and alabama. super cell thunderstorms. that means large tornado can form and they can stay on the ground for a long time. >> you talk about super cells. what is behind the storms? >> a powerful jet stream. you have temperatures in the 30s out of the plains. warm, moist air in the 80s in the gulf of mexico. the storms will last into the night. >> and tomorrow too? >> yeah n auburn, alabama, chattanooga, lexington and it will move to the east coast tomorrow. savannah, mirt the beach. >> lee goldberg, thanks so much. the weather for tonight. we're going to turn now to the economy this evening. and the squeeze you felt at the grocery store and the gas

station, it's not your imagination. a key new is at its highest flefl two years, jim avel la now. >> reporter: americans spend already 1 out of 5 of their hard earned dollars on their gasoline and the cost to eat and drive is putting a hurt on the budget. >> it's expensive. everything is expensive. >> reporter: dorothy ward spent $400 at the super market today. and that is with coupons. >> produce has gone up. i went to buy watermelon and i'm like, i'm not spending $20 on a watermelon. >> reporter: it's a double whammy. squeezed at the grocery store and on the way to it. gas prices up. and food prices increased twices a much as all of last year. beef prices a double digit increase.

tomato, also a huge spike. and coffee. the spring of tomatoes left to a theft in florida. six tractor trailer trucks stol stolen. in north carolina, rental trucks, the fuel lines cut and drained. >> it cost $400 to fill them up with fuel. >> how desperate are the rest of us? drivers lined up for hours to score free gasoline in a radio station give away. one man road his bicycle to fill up cans. the one-two punch of gas price hikes forces cut backs on everything else. >> say that apparel sales, eats out won't be as strong. >> reporter: the good news is that the fruits and vegetables

going up is caused by winter. be by the time your homegrown tomatoes strikeout, the price will go down. >> thanks so much. with the ricing prices, we tonight with know that the made in america team is back. we listened to what so many of you told us. one of our all-star american factories. and what is sharon going paint something companies proudly saying made in america. and tonight a question for you. where was your american flag made. check it out and send it to abcnews.com. and an admission from president obama tonight about the debt ceiling. he conceded they have so give republicans spending cuts to get through the detail bate. he also said something last night not knowing his mike was

on. >> reporter: late last night, an open mike phone caught him dishing at a fund-raiser. >> the interesting thing, actually, is how little traction these social issues are getting these days. >> reporter: the president offered a spicier version of last week's budget negotiations that in public he said was common ground. >> you want to repeal health care? go at it. you are not going to do it by nickel and diming me on the budget. >> reporter: caught by a hot mike, not new for the president. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: and in this era of sound bites, the rare moments of candor allow us to see what the leaders are really like when they think we are not listenings. whether complicated politics. >> they need to get series and

stop doing this [ bleep ]. >> reporter: joshing around before a radio address. >> i'm pleased to tell you that i signed legislation that will outlaw russia forever. >> reporter: bonding with a buddy over a hobby. media bashing. >> from "the new york times." >> reporter: or getting impatient with an aide. >> listen, you don't that. >> reporter: a truth can be more precease. such with jesse jackson's views of scolding of fathers in the black community. shut show a politician has a pulse. >> these guys ares the most crooked, you know, lying group of people i have ever seen. >> reporter: in this instance, president obama's comments did not seem to do him harm. many liberals expressed delight hearing the president sound to

feisty though republicans criticize the president. david? >> gave us something to talk about tonight. thanks so much. >> >> we're going to turn over seas now and from the dramatic pictures in the arab world, this time, syria. terry more van in the region tonight. >> reporter: in city of city, the shaky images which can not independently verified it show e this world, unimaginable a few weeks a guy. and 24 voice calls out, bravo to you, you tear it. and this, the center of the resolt far. a picture of the current president's father who ruled syria with an iron fist for

three decades is toppled. freedom, freedom they shouted. and large protested in the capital damascus. the revolt has been building for weeks and the regime is cracking down. and the young men n an image that stirs aimages images of ch the youth, they chant. the title wave of revolt in the air rab world is cresting in syria now. across the region, the people are rising. the tyrants are falling or fighting back. david? >> terry, thank you. it was a bloody day in nearby lib va. this sign said it all. a play on the nike slogan. a call to just do it. and today, forces fired weapons

in residential neighborhoods. still ahead on "world news," the study tonight. what does your waistline have to do with how much you can remember? what is wrong with this stamp? the mistake that got by the post office. and later, her title was stolen. the valedictorian who had her title stripd. you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. but i wasn't winning any ribbons managing my diabetes.

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there is a study tonight out about memory and weight loss. it's documented that people who lose a lot of weight can improve their health. but losing weight can sharpen your mind. here is sharon al phonecy. >> reporter: take a look at this list and try to remember what is on it. desk, car, pencil, shirt, phone, cup. got it? okay, was the world phone on the list? yes. what about plate? no. pencil? yes. how did you do? if you had trouble remembering and hope to sharpen your skills, consider losing some weight. yes, weight. researchers at kent state university studied 150 overweight participants. they all took a memory test. a quarter of them showed signs of poor memory. and some of the volume teens

under went gastic by pass. those who didn't lose weight, their memories stayed the same and cases got worse. why could your weight affect your memory? that. >> that is a $10 million question. why obesity can hurt the brain. we can look to ways to undo them or prevent them in the first place. >> reporter: obesity is known to cause hyper tension, diabetes, sleep apnea. if you lose weight, improve your blood pressure, you might improve the flow of blood to your brain. >> it's poss thabl fitness or being active might improve your abilities. >> reporter: the people in the study lost a lot of weight, 50 pounds each. researchers don't know if losing a few pounds will have benefits. whether that what is good for the body is good for your brain.

>> if i bombed on the quiz, i start tonight. coming up, what is wrong with the new stamps? i got past the post office. guess which way shipping costs are going? the u.s postal service has no fuel surcharges. combine that with low online pricing... and your shipping costs... ..could head in a whole new direction. it's time to rethink your shipping.

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featuring a new stamp. we went to the liberty island to show her off. do you see a difference? >> i think it's accurate. >> reporter: one problem, they picked the wrong lady liberty. they are not the statue of liberty. >> how do you get it wrong, it welcomes the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to gamble in las vegas. where she it wills in las vegas. he's hard to spot. the hair style is different and the patch on the crown. the real lady liberty is twice as tall and the fake one, just a teenager. the post office said it's a

mistake. >> we are going to turn next to the pro golfer who is the talk of the sports world tonight for the new record he wishes someone else said. kevin nod at texas open sending much of it in the woods. here, he could take the penalty and try to tee off again. and what happened? >> he might be right back in the same spot. >> goodness. >> reporter: it's thoord see but the next shot hits a tree and then him. another penalty. he kept swinging and swinging and swinging. he makes it back to the fairway with a 12th shot. now a new problem. >> how are we are going cut the shots? >> his score of 16 was the worst for a par 4 in pga history. when we come back, the value

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the nation are honored as valedictorians. our person of the week is one of them. but it took 75 years of waiting. the story begins in 1936 inside of hall ways of this pittsburgh high school where a young woman witnessed her honor stolen. she was about to graduate. her sister will never forget it. >> she was braille yant. at talented pianist. >> reporter: he is does about to be the second black valedictorian. but the school didn't want two black valedictorians so close together. >> the principal was outraged. so he ordered the teachers to cut her grades.

so not another member of the --ly would say black family, would have that opportunity. >> reporter: it's believed a teacher changed her grade a mark in music from an "a" to a "b." and her dream of being a valedictorian vanished. she earned two masters degrees, and taught high school germon. >> we knew we had to be better. and we knew we had to be better. >> reporter: through the years, the changed grades haunted her. >> she was heart broken. >> reporter: she passed away three years ago. the family wanted to set the record straight. >> reporter: now, 75 years later, an honor long overdue. her sister invited to pick up her sister's honor.

today, two valedictorians. >> i believe that in spirit, she is with us. >> right. >> and appreciates -- i won't say hardy record. >> a tardy honor in deal. we cheese fannetta, recognized first in her class. thank you for watching friday night. we are an abcnews.com and don't forget to wastch" 20/20." have a great weekend.